An Exploratory Study into the Accessibility of a Multi-User Virtual World for Young People with Aphasia

This paper describes an exploratory study into the accessibility of the virtual world Second Life for two young people with aphasia. Aphasia is a communicative disorder most commonly caused by a stroke. It affects both written and spoken language, is frequently accompanied by right-sided paralysis and people with aphasia can experience isolation and social exclusion. Multi-user virtual worlds are a potential source of fun and contact with others, but how accessible are such worlds to those with communication issues? We report an investigation into the accessibility and potential of Second Life for people with aphasia. This was accomplished through a critique and an empirical study involving two young people: Ann was in her mid twenties and Bob in his early thirties. They were selected because both were comfortable with computer technologies before their strokes and each continues to use them, albeit in a more limited capacity. We discuss implications of the results for people with aphasia interacting with multi-user virtual worlds

Industrial districts as organizational environments: resources, networks and structures

The paper combines economic and sociological perspectives on organizations in order to gain a better understanding of the forces shaping the structures of industrial districts (IDs) and the organizations of which they are constituted. To effect the combination , the resource based view (RBV) and resource dependency theory are combined to explain the evolution of different industry structures. The paper thus extends work by Toms and Filatotchev by spatializing consideration of resource distribution and resource dependence. The paper has important implications for conventional interpretations in the fields of business and organizational history and for the main areas of theory hitherto considered separately, particularly the Chandlerian model of corporate hierarchy as contrasted with the alternative of clusters of small firms coordinated by networks

Ontogeny of the Tibial Spur in \u3ci\u3eMegamelus Davisi\u3c/i\u3e (Homoptera: Delphacidae) and its Bearing on Delphacid Classification

The forms of the nymphal tibial spur in Megamelus davisi Van Duzee, and their relation to Muir\u27s classification of delphacid subfamilies and tribes, are discussed

Notes on the Biology of \u3ci\u3eNersia Florens\u3c/i\u3e (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Dictyopharidae) with Descriptions of Eggs, and First, Second, and Fifth Instars

Information on food plants and laboratory rearing of Nersia florens Stal is provided, and the eggs and Ist, 2nd, and 5th instars are described

A simple extended-cavity diode laser

Operating a laser diode in an extended cavity which provides frequency-selective feedback is a very effective method of reducing the laser's linewidth and improving its tunability. We have developed an extremely simple laser of this type, built from inexpensive commercial components with only a few minor modifications, A 780 nm laser built to this design has an output power of 80 mW, a Linewidth of 350 kHz, and it has been continuously locked to a Doppler-free rubidium transition for several days

A pragmatics' view of patient identification

Patient identification is a central safety critical aspect of healthcare work. Most healthcare activities require identification of patients by healthcare staff, often in connection with the use of patient records. Indeed, the increasing reliance on electronic systems makes the correct matching of patients with their records a keystone for patient safety. Most research on patient identification has been carried out in hospital settings. The aim was to investigate the process of identification of patients and their records in the context of a primary healthcare clinic